Wednesday, October 25

The Wizard of Oz Revealed
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. (open)
Presented by John E. Schowalter, M.D.

Let us enter into the world of Oz! Dr. Schowalter speaks briefly about fairy tales and then moves the discussion to Mr. L. Frank Baum, author of the “Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” He summarizes the book and how the plot varies from the movie. While exploring the making of the movie, the extraordinary special effects for the era, the shock of color versus black and white, and the seamless use of the songs, Dr. Schowalter notes speculations about political, religious, and psychoanalytic themes that may or may not be present. He offers his own speculations based on Baum’s background and beliefs. Most importantly, he emphasizes the power of Baum’s writing style and the emotional tug of an orphan’s “every child’ persona of determined self-sufficiency that reassures young watchers and readers that they too can conquer their developmental doubts. Dr. Schowalter impresses upon us how Oz is a place that one can both enter and leave as shown through the many book sequels and the repeated showings of the movie, all with the same ending. Although human closeness and reality are humdrum, most children prefer this to exciting fantasy, if that fantasy’s price is separation from family because there is no place like home.

Dr. Schowalter brings to this lecture a dynamic career focused mainly on issues in pediatric liaison, adolescent care, and professional training. He chaired the Child Psychiatry Residency Review Committee of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. He also chaired the Child Psychiatry Examination Committee and was on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He is a Past-President of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the Society of Professors of Child Psychiatry, the Association for the Care of Children’s Healthcare, the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry, and the Benjamin Rush Society. At the Child Study Center, Dr. Schowalter became a professor in 1975, and became the first Albert J. Solnit Professor in 1989. He served as the Center’s Interim Director, 2001– 2002, becoming emeritus in 2003. Dr. Schowalter recently endowed a new position on the AACAP Council: the John E. Schowalter Resident Council Member. He continues to teach and consult.

Sponsored by the AACAP History and Archives Committee